Open AccessIMPACT OF RELIGIOUS PRACTICES ON HEALTH AND HYGIENE: A CRITICAL OBSERVATIONAL STUDY WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO ARTICLE 25 OF THE CONSTITUTION OF INDIA
Author(s) -
Vaibhav Goel Bhartiya,
Prem Chandra,
Himani Sharma
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of anatomical sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 0970-1842
DOI - 10.46351/jas.v28i1pp49-56
Subject(s) - prayer , faith , constitution , hinduism , hygiene , law , sociology , relevance (law) , observational study , medicine , traditional medicine , psychology , political science , religious studies , philosophy , theology , pathology
Since the beginning of human civilization, hygiene, health, medicine religious practices and law, are found to be interwoven around each other. On one hand, ancient legal system or religion preaches us about an ideal way of living life, on the other hand, the health care providers, try to identify and observe the religious practices and faith of the patient for providing better treatment. These practices may include prayer, meditation, bathing and cleanliness, dietary needs and astrological beliefs of patient. The history of alliance of law in the religious preaching and religious practices, medicine, and healthcare is very interesting to look at. Since ages, to make people take up cleanliness as a habit, it has been linked to Godliness, for example in Hinduism it is often said that “Swachchta hi Prabhuta hai”. Also, for hundreds of years, religious institutions were responsible for licensing physicians to practice medicine. Thus, religious practices are external activities or functions of human civilizations which works as code of conduct for them. The present piece of work is an attempt to identify the relevance of Article 25 of Indian Constitution for the medical practitioners while treating patients with orthodox patients with deep rooted religious practices which may create hindrances in the treatment too.